Is it time for a vote of no confidence in this government?

I've been working with some good leftie friends on twitter to get a an e-petition on the Governments own website for a Motion of No Confidence in the ConDem government.

As you probably know already:- if these petitions get accepted on the site and gain over 100k signatures they have to be considered for a Commons Debate.

The motion we propose to have is :

"We, the undersigned state that this government has not acted in the interests of the people of the United Kingdom.

We require there to be a Motion of No Confidence debate in the House of Commons followed by a vote of MPs in support of the motion"

The idea is that it is left as open as possible so that disillusioned people of all political persuasions will be able to sign it, in order to maximise the support it gets. Also if kept as brief as possible it is more likely to be accepted, as it is less likely to get caught by one of the many grounds for rejection on the government site.

We would very much appreciate any comments and suggestions that people on here have, and especially ideas on how we can spread the word to let the people know it is available for them if they wish to sign it.

Best of luck with that Bob!

Thankyou very much, me or one of my co-conspirators will give updates in here about progress.

I've never been involved in a conspiracy to topple a government before - didn't realise it would be so much fun!

They already rejected mine on the (spurious) basis that a VoNC is a matter for parliament, not govt. Didn't think we were trying to get another on their site as they'll just reject again. What we need is our own - massively supported so it can be presented with much media fanfare and they can't just ignore it. Imagine if we can get > 1 million signatures when they rejected one that would have only needed 100k to pass!

Damn it's nice not to have to try to keep to 140 characters!

Agree skwalker, the 140 limit gone, just heaven!!!

I'll help out as much as I can Bob, anything you need doing, I'll try and help. Lets hope we can get some momentum going, if there's enough of us, hopefully we can create some noise.

The motion sounds good, pretty much spot on. Lets try and get the Bullingdon Bullies and Handpuppet Clegg written into the history books (for all the wrong reasons of course)!!

Like all e-petitions that matter, it's unlikely to go anywhere. I tried to get a petition for criminal proceeding against Blair over HIS Iraq war.

Isn't it - room to spread.

I think it is worth trying once more - because if successful it put the government in a much more awkward position if we get more than 100K. Also it has more credibility with the press if on the govts own site.
Also I know there are many more than a mere million people mad at this government, but it'll be easier and quicker to just get the 100k i think

I think we ought to try this once more, then if it doesn't work then fine, we'll go elsewhere.

much better smileys on here too

Agree Bob, at least give it a shot.

If we can make enough noise, who know's where it will lead?

tlttf wrote:Like all e-petitions that matter, it's unlikely to go anywhere. I tried to get a petition for criminal proceeding against Blair over HIS Iraq war.

Fair point - but I don't think its necessarily about going all the way with it, its about helping to add to the pressure on this nasty-minded evil ConDem govt.

It will also allow all the people being harmed by this shower to voice their disapproval. And hopefully it will be a present to the opposition in parliament and the anti-tory media - handing them some ammunition to fight with


At the very least I'm hoping it will do a little bit to help Cameron get an ulcer

Would 38 degrees help - be any good? OR are they "in too much with the opposition" for the "establishment" to take any credence in the vote?

Perhaps a flood of letters to our MPs in the They Work For You site?

Is it time for a vote of no confidence in this government?

Yes, without a doubt, and if there were to be a General Election called tomorrow, we are practically guaranteed a change of administration.

But that's the reason why there won't be. A "vote of no confidence" requires a simple majority to succeed. The majority in the House of Commons lies in the Tory-led Coalition.

The likelihood of them voting for an early retirement is not something you would put your own money on.

astra wrote:Would 38 degrees help - be any good? OR are they "in too much with the opposition" for the "establishment" to take any credence in the vote?

Perhaps a flood of letters to our MPs in the They Work For You site?

Yes 38 degrees did a lot to promote the petition to halt the NHS changes, that got through a commons vote - great idea -

Flood of letters - like it!

oftenwrong wrote:Is it time for a vote of no confidence in this government?

Yes, without a doubt, and if there were to be a General Election called tomorrow, we are practically guaranteed a change of administration.

But that's the reason why there won't be. A "vote of no confidence" requires a simple majority to succeed. The majority in the House of Commons lies in the Tory-led Coalition.

The likelihood of them voting for an early retirement is not something you would put your own money on.

My view is that anything that involves fighting back has to be worth a try, however remote a chance of success.

I agree with you it almost certainly won't go through, BUT, it all adds to the pressure - helps to keep them in a state of worry and could give the opposition ammunition,

At the very least it might help to give Cameron a very nasty painful ulcer - its gotta be worth a try just for that chance.

There is about as much likelihood that Cameron will allow anything which will potentailly curtail his lust for power, as there is that the fat slob Eric 'Porky' Pickles will opt for the healthy option at a working lunch with the TUC...

Have you seen Prezza's Guardian article about people power via Twitter? He might just get on board...

If we wait 7 days for the govt site to review (and probably reject) another NCV submission, we'll miss the RCN Congress, which finishes this week and might be an excellent opportunity to get a fast start with a rush of signatures. I'd recommend putting the petition on another site and launching now. Media weight once the signatures mount...

If a petition is created on another site, what weight does it carry with the government, will it get passed on to them?

I'd prefer a govt-sited one, but they rejected mine on the basis that a NCV isn't a govt matter but a parliamentary one. Presumably they''ll do the same again.

Govt one has the advantage that people will see it if they visit the site for other petitions, but even if it goes over 100k signatures, they're only obligated to pass it to the backbench committee. The main aim is to get a lot of signatures and preferably some heavy-hitters, so that it gets picked up by the media. Twitter is our Friend

skwalker1964 wrote:Have you seen Prezza's Guardian article about people power via Twitter? He might just get on board...

Prezza has a huge following, getting him on board would be fantastic - definitely worth a try. You might have to have several goes at it I'm guessing he must have a huge inbox (that is not a double entendre by the way ) , but he does RT stuff so it is definitely worth a go

skwalker1964 wrote:I'd prefer a govt-sited one, but they rejected mine on the basis that a NCV isn't a govt matter but a parliamentary one. Presumably they''ll do the same again.

Govt one has the advantage that people will see it if they visit the site for other petitions, but even if it goes over 100k signatures, they're only obligated to pass it to the backbench committee. The main aim is to get a lot of signatures and preferably some heavy-hitters, so that it gets picked up by the media. Twitter is our Friend

So basically, we just need to get a lot of momentum going, and keep it up, heavy hitters a must!!

skwalker1964 wrote:I'd prefer a govt-sited one, but they rejected mine on the basis that a NCV isn't a govt matter but a parliamentary one. Presumably they''ll do the same again.

Govt one has the advantage that people will see it if they visit the site for other petitions, but even if it goes over 100k signatures, they're only obligated to pass it to the backbench committee. The main aim is to get a lot of signatures and preferably some heavy-hitters, so that it gets picked up by the media. Twitter is our Friend

Yes, you did make that point in the first para before - I missed it the first time, OK How about. I bang in the petition we have to the govt site this evening, I want to have one more go - because of the status of it.

The rejected yours very quickly - was it 1 working day?, so in the next day or so we work on plan B so it is ready to move on getting the rejection. It'll take us that long to get plan B ready to roll anyway.

As a suggestion for Plan B, how about Astra's suggestion of going for a 38degrees campaign (see above), 38degrees are capable of mobilising huge support, and we could throw in the force of twitter, facebook and any other means?

sampbang wrote:

skwalker1964 wrote:I'd prefer a govt-sited one, but they rejected mine on the basis that a NCV isn't a govt matter but a parliamentary one. Presumably they''ll do the same again.

Govt one has the advantage that people will see it if they visit the site for other petitions, but even if it goes over 100k signatures, they're only obligated to pass it to the backbench committee. The main aim is to get a lot of signatures and preferably some heavy-hitters, so that it gets picked up by the media. Twitter is our Friend

So basically, we just need to get a lot of momentum going, and keep it up, heavy hitters a must!!

Absolutely - got any influential friends?

Not personally, just twitter people I follow. I'll try and spread it about as much as possible, try and get some support, and just keep persisting.

38degrees sounds like a good idea if the govt petition fails. If they can drum up huge support, that would be key.

skwalker1964 wrote:I'd prefer a govt-sited one, but they rejected mine on the basis that a NCV isn't a govt matter but a parliamentary one. Presumably they''ll do the same again.

Govt one has the advantage that people will see it if they visit the site for other petitions, but even if it goes over 100k signatures, they're only obligated to pass it to the backbench committee. The main aim is to get a lot of signatures and preferably some heavy-hitters, so that it gets picked up by the media. Twitter is our Friend

OK I've been looking at the petitions that have got through, I think we can tweak what we have to get past the gate:
How about this:

Title: Motion of No Confidence in David Cameron's Government


"Responsible department: Office of the Leader of the House of Commons.

We, the undersigned, state that the government led by Prime Minister David Cameron has not acted in the interests of the people of the United Kingdom.

We require there to be a Motion of Confidence debate in the House of Commons followed by a vote of MPs in order to determine whether or not the representatives of the British People support the Prime Minister & Government of this country"

I'm hoping that wording will be enough to make it through, since it borrows from the wording of existing sucessful petitions

sampbang wrote:Not personally, just twitter people I follow. I'll try and spread it about as much as possible, try and get some support, and just keep persisting.

38degrees sounds like a good idea if the govt petition fails. If they can drum up huge support, that would be key.

sounds good Sam

we all do our bit we should be able to get the ball rolling.

Often Wrong wrote Quote "The likelihood of them voting for an early retirement is not something you would put your own money on."

I agree with that and wild horses won't move Camer-con because he is arrogant, uncaring and stubborn. He and his bunch of henchmen are not concerned about being elected again, because their sole purpose is to continue to implement worse than Thatcher's ideology as fast as possible. Another three years will give them success.
Having said that I agree that we must all do what we can to bring as much pressure as possible on the buggers and not refrain from doing so even if we can see no worthwhile effects in the short term.

Thank you Bob, you have offered some hope.

Thankyou Mel, not just me, skwalker1964, sampbang and some very good people on twitter, to borrow a phrase "We're all in it together!"

I've never been part of a conspiracy to bring down a government before, its enormous fun. Its kind of a pity in a way that its all legal and above board!

We never trusted Cameron from the start and I don't think the voters ever really gave him their trust, its just that the tories and the media did such an effective attack job on Gordon Brown that the public grudgingly chose to give him the benefit of the doubt. Now the regret is clear for all to see in the polls.

I think you are absolutely right, Cam and co will try to drag it out as long as possible, that's what the fixed 5year term was all about, they saw this coming. I also think the best description for Camerons Tory Party is TeaPartyUK - that's the thread that is running through their policy programme.

Yes its going to be a tough fight , but the left has won tough fights before, I know we are going to win this one too.

You need to put a link to the petition here - so that anybody wishing to sign it can........others, such as myself, will then post the link to other persons who might be interested in signing it.

Here is what I mean by providing a link.....you can forward this to others, and build momentum / gather support via a chain effect.

http://www.nhscampaign.org/NHS-reforms/e-petition.html

Yup I submitted the petiton to the government petitions website last night - it might get rejected, skwalker1964 had a go before and it did, this is a second attempt.

If it fails again, we'll go elsewhere and do it again, but we wanted the Govt petitions site becuase if they get more that 100k signatures it automatically goes to a commitee for consideration of a Commons debate. Also we felt it would carry more weight in the media from the govts own site.

Either way as soon as it is up, we'll be spreading it around everywhere we can. Here, Twitter, Facebook, 38 degrees have all been suggested - any other ideas you or anyone else has would be gratefully recieved.

I'll post your link on twitter - I'm happy to do that for any good cause - and there is no better cause I can think of than the NHS

Cheers Bob - and good luck with your petition.....though I doubt it will be accepted via govt e-petitions. I would do as skwalker suggests.

I think he is probably right too, just I've got a great big wide stubborn streak and I don't want to give up till I'm sure it can't be done, or as I like to describe it - wilful dumbness in the face of all the evidence.

Not wasting time though, while the govt one is going through the rejection process, we are working what plan B will be and getting it ready to roll as soon as the news comes in on Plan A

BobEllard wrote:Thankyou very much, me or one of my co-conspirators will give updates in here about progress.

I've never been involved in a conspiracy to topple a government before - didn't realise it would be so much fun!

Hi BobEllard well done and you have a great idea there and i wish you well in your endeavor, bring the backstuds DOWN.

BobEllard wrote:we are working what plan B will be and getting it ready to roll as soon as the news comes in on Plan A

Plan B:

sickchip wrote:

BobEllard wrote:we are working what plan B will be and getting it ready to roll as soon as the news comes in on Plan A

Plan B:

Have you seen this: Lux Lisbon Bullingdon Club https://youtu.be/5esbUG4bslQ

In the late 70's and early 80's we had the specials, ub 40, the sex pistols, billy bragg, elvis costello etc to help to shame the tovy gov, but in the naughties, we only seem to have plan b. I wish there were bands who were into politics!

I love this track.

Thanks for posting that track Bob! Bloody excellent! More!!!! lol

Glad you like it!!

I would love it if that song made it to the charts while the Olympics is on, the idea of it playing on the radio while all the visitors are here really tickles me - I could imagine it really winding Cameron and Osborne up.

To that end myself and Sampbang have been tweeting it like mad and I've just been contacted by the band on twitter, they must have noticed all the tweets - they are @luxlisbonmusic if you want to look.

We definitely need better more better satirical music, also satirical TV, remember Spitting Image! If ever we needed that show back it is now!

Yes we do need more bands who are willing to shout from the roof tops about this lousy coalition. I'll re-tweet it! It'll be a pleasure!

If you or anyone wants to see what I'm up to on twitter i'm @bobellard1, be happy to see anyone there!